New 2016 Chevrolet Camaro: less weight, more performance

Chevrolet may now be officially out of the UK, but fans of the Camaro should still be interested in the sixth-generation model. The wraps were pulled off the car at a US event, and it looks to be lighter, faster and more economical than ever before.

At first glance you’ll be forgiven for not noticing the changes, as its familiar profile and butch looks are very similar to the current Camaro. But Chevy claims 350 hours of wind tunnel work has produced significant aerodynamic gains.

Image 2 of 5

Use of aluminium in the Camaro’s body and under the skin shaves 90kg off the kerbweight, and it’s 57m shorter and 20mm narrower. 70 per cent of the structural components are claimed to be new, while structural rigidity is also boosted by 28 per cent.

New engines for the Camaro include a debut for a four-cylinder engine in the muscle car. The four pot unit comes hot on the heels of the Ford Mustang Ecoboost and the 275bhp 2.0-litre unit produces 400Nm of torque, firing the Camaro from 0-62mph in less than six seconds. Despite that, it gets 30mpg on the US economy test (UK figures are considerably better).

Image 5 of 5

Moving up the range, an all-new 3.6-litre V6 engine now produces 335bhp and 285Nm of torque, while the Camaro SS still receives the full-fat 6.2-litre V8 with 455bhp and 617Nm of torque. All engines can be had with either a six-speed manual transmission (with Rev Match tech) or eight-speed ‘Hydra-Matic’ paddleshift auto.

The Michican-built Camaro will go on sale in the US towards the end of 2015, with Europe sales in the first quarter of 2016. It won’t be produced in right-hand drive form, however, so you’ll have to be a commited Chevy fan to import one here.

Would you like to see the Camaro back in the UK? Would you take this Chevy over the new Ford Mustang? Let us know in the comments section below…